“If we can only catch her in time!” cried the other. “Speed up, Hadley!”
“I’m feeding her to the limit, for the city traffic laws,” John assured him. “And then some!”
They reached the station and dashed to the information booth. A local for Pittsburg had just left, but there was an express due in fifteen minutes.
“Think one of us better take that?” asked Richards.
“Seems sort of wild,” replied John. “Let’s search the station first. You take the down-stairs, and the platform, and I’ll go upstairs.”
They separated; John going first to the Traveller’s Aid Agent, in the hope that Queenie might have consulted her. After all the girl was very young and inexperienced in travelling. In a few words he described the girl to the woman, telling her that they feared she might have eloped with a questionable man.
“I don’t recall any couple of that description during the last hour,” she said.
“Oh, I don’t mean a couple—the girl was probably alone. The man is not in the city, I’m sure of that.” Then he went on to give a minute description of Queenie. Suddenly the woman recalled her.
“Yes—she did come ask me, about the difference between the local and the express, and which she ought to take to get to Wilmington at nine o’clock. I advised the express, but she didn’t want to wait around the station, and took the local.”
“Wilmington!” repeated John. “So that’s where she went!”